"Edge of Darkness" is not worth the trip

Edge of Darkness is a remake of a BBC television show from 1985 of the same name. This review will focus on the film and no comparisons will be made between the film and the television series.

This film stars Mel Gibson as Thomas Craven, a Boston cop whose daughter (Bojana Novakovic) is gunned down in front of him. Craven (Gibson) vows revenge and starts discovering a larger political plot was behind his daughter's murder. This film is directed by Martin Campbell who also directed the television series.

Edge of Darkness serves as a cross between Lethal Weapon and Max Payne. Gibson returns to the screen as a maverick cop who is out for revenge. However even Gibson fans who love this type of genre will find it difficult to view the whole film without thinking fondly back to Gibson's Lethal Weapon roles. Gibson's Boston accent reminded me of The Departed, it seemed a little too forced and the actors slipped in and out of it throughout the film.

British actor Ray Winstone does a phenomenal job in this film. Sadly his character is confined to the background of this film, however the scenes that his is in are all incredible. I really would have liked to see more of this character in the film.

Danny Huston continues to play a role that he seems type-cast in which is one part Chazz Palminteri to one part Joe Mantegna.

The film moves very slowly, editing would have done a lot of help the overall flow. There were also a lot of continuity errors, meaning actors were seen finishing their drink then the next shot they had a full glass in their hand. While it seems like nitpicking, these moments were very obvious and while it might be slightly forgivable with independent films, larger budget films should know better.

Out of all the projects that Gibson could have chosen as his vessel to return to acting, Edge of Darkness seems like a bad choice, a comedy might have been a better one.

View more articles from Kamu at www.examiner.com/x-7947-Geek-Culture-Examiner.

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Kamu has been reviewing movies and working in the film industry since 1999. He has worked professionally on a number of television shows and movies. Kamu provides his insights from his experience in his reviews. Contact: kamuhiro@gmail.com.